Slather Some Mayo on your Corn and Add Some Spicey

Elote is corn on the cob slathered in mayo and garnished with chili powder. If you're like me, your only interaction with elote comes from watching Steven try to give some to Nacho in the movie Nacho Libre. Nacho is unhappy at the moment and says, "Get that corn out of my face."

I recently learned a lot about elote from Angelica Lancaster of Angelica's Mexican Grill. Not only did she fill me in on elote as made and sold in street carts in Mexico City, she also let me try one. This is definitely something that belongs in one's face, sorry Nacho.

"You can either boil or grill the corn," said Angelica. "Ad mayo and it always has to be spicy." The traditional way is to dust it with cheese, lime and pepper, but there are many experiementing with new flavors in Mexico City, according to Angelica. Some of those experiements include putting cheeto cheese or crunched up Takis on the mayo.

The elote Angelica gave me was the tradional way. The corn was cooked longer than we cook corn here in Southern Utah. We usually boil it for 5 minutes or so to keep it from getting mushy. This corn had been cooked for 30 minutes and was softer which made it work really well with the mayonnaise slathered all over the sides.

The Mayo tasted different to me as well. It was a lighter taste then the usual Best Foods variety. The cheese was delicious and the chili pepper was spicy and juxtaposed with the other flavors.

You can try making elote at home, however, I would suggest getting one from Angelicas first, so you can get an idea of what you're aiming for. I have become a fan of elote and I definitely want more in my face.